The incidence of occult bleeding per rectum in a general practice in Scotland: a study using haemoccult.

Haemoccult (Eaton Laboratories) was offered to all 405 subjects aged 45 to 65 years in a Scottish, rural general practice as a screening test for occult bleeding per rectum. Subjects contacted verbally had a compliance rate of 85.2 per cent and those by post 59.5 per cent--2.6 per cent (7) returned positive tests. Of these seven, one refused follow-up. Two had diverticular disease, one had haemorrhoids, one had a possible polyp, one had ingested aspirin and also had a few diverticula. In one patient, no cause of bleeding was found. The last two and one with diverticular disease were negative on re-testing. In general, the test was aesthetically acceptable to undertake for both patient and doctor and provided a suitable screening technique for occult bleeding.